Oakland Social: The Oakland of our peaceful dreams

Years ago, I read a blog post in the UK Guardian, in which columnist Jon Henley attempted to consume the same 12,000 calories worth of food that legendary Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps consumed every single day.

That blog post has basically become my all-time favorite article. I’ve told dozens of people about it over the last five years. I bring it up, without fail, every time anyone mentions anything about the Olympics, Michael Phelps, swimming, eating too much, calories, mayonnaise or exercise. I have literally asked the same friend on at least five different occasions, “Did I ever tell you what Michael Phelps eats in a day?”

It’s gotten to the point where, just to humor me, my friend says, “No, what does Michael Phelps eat in a day?” and then I’ll excitedly recount the whole article before I realize that it’s the sixth time I’ve told him about it.

It’s not that I’m particularly fascinated by Michael Phelps or his three-a-day mayo and fried egg sandwiches. It’s just that I love the idea of what a human body is physically and emotionally capable of, such that – though we are all born nearly identical, genetically-speaking – a human being could develop a metabolism as unimaginably furnace-like as Michael Phelps’ or could run hundreds of miles at a time as the Tarahumara Indians do, or could climb Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen as sherpas have done for decades.

For most of us who don’t make our livings as professional athletes, the equivalent of Michael Phelps’ Olympic gold medals might be a medal for completing a 5K or maybe a marathon. And if you’re someone who didn’t grow up in a culture of fitness and exercise, or if you have a physical disability or limitation, or if you just don’t have enough time in a day to brush your hair let alone make it to a gym, completing a 5K might seem nearly insurmountable.